Laguna de Atitlán, (English: Lake Atitlán), is a beautiful volcanic lake in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. It is ringed by small towns, many of which are favourites among backpackers. The region encompasses the lake and the towns around them. Panajachel is best known, and a good entry point, but more off the beaten track are San Pedro La Laguna or the "less party, more meditation" village of San Marcos. Due to the region's popularity, other towns along the lake, such as Santa Cruz la Laguna and San Juan, are now starting to see growing tourism.

Cities

Santiago Atitlán, small town on south side of Lake Atitlán, famous for a shrine to Maximón

Santa Cruz la Laguna small village on north side of Lake Atitlán. If getting away from it all in magical surroundings but still being a short boat ride away from a night club is your desire then this is the place to be.

Other destinations

Understand

Lake Atitlán and its villages are a winning combination of scenic beauty, a relaxed atmosphere, easily accessible Mayan culture, and a good tourist infrastructure. You can have an enjoyable weekend visit, a week away from it all, or several weeks to learn Spanish. The Atitlan Lake located at 1560 m of altitude, and the Tolimán volcano at the bottom (3158 m). If the depth being reproduced on the charts is 320 m, investigations carried out in the years 1970 evaluate to 600 m the depth on the San Lucas Tolimán side.

Get in

Most travellers arrive in Panajachel. Bus and other transportation instructions are in that town's article.

Get around

Many lanchas, or small boats, provide transport from village to village around and across the lake. Some boats are scheduled like buses, other will go as soon as they accumulate enough passengers, like share-ride taxis. Generally the prices are 3Q for one harbor, 5Q for two, and max 10Q for many or across the lake. The crew are a bunch of really unpleasant scoundrels however and will extort up to 25Q out of anyone with a light complexion or limited spanish.

Some people suggest it is generally best not to mention a price until you get off the boat, that will usually get you into the extortion situation, however. You can also ask the people with little or no luggage how much they're paying (chances are they're at least a little familiar with the system.) The prices are fixed and the locals (or regionals) always pay the same.

See

The Indian's Head at the top of the mountain above the cities of San Juan and San Marcos. It is accessible through various tracks and there are also organised trips with horses to the top.Lying in the countries most western highlands, the countries prettiest looking place is the pure and blue lake Atitlan. This place mirrors the three Fuji like volcanoes.A large collapsed volcanic cone can be found right at the lake Atitlan. The descendants of the ancient placed called Maya, even today live off the land which is rich in ask and other minerals. The maize farming methods through the years have still been the same, this is because the local people have made an effort so that they don’t change their old ways of living.

Do

Around Lake Atitlan can have many activities such as hiking, volcano tour, bike tour, tour in the villages, coffee tour,birdwatching tour,trek around the lake, kayak adventure, cultural tour by village around the lake.

There are a number of activities you can do on the water, such as kayaking (rent from Casa del Mundo below, or San Pedro la Laguna) and jet skiing. Diving is also possible in Santa Cruz la Laguna through the hostel "La Iguana Perdida". Or, if you're not the watery type, there's horseback riding, and hiking galore.

There exists a vague, and at times somewhat precarious, path that encircles pretty much the whole lake. New holiday homes and hotels have restricted some of the access to the lakeside path, but it's still possible to walk it. It's a very rewarding and enjoyable hike. Swim in the beautiful water anytime you need to cool off. Wave down a boat from any of the countless jetties if you get tired and want to return back home.

Climb the three volcanoes. San Pedro from San Pedro, guided for 100Q. Atitlan and Toliman can be arranged from pana. However you could do it on your own: The best/easiest would be to bike/rent a motorcycle and go from pana as far as you can. Look at summitpost for detailed description. If you want to commute there, the easiest would be boat to santiago, and pickup to San Lucas, this will if you carry luggage though incur a lot of hassle (from people), so better get a cheap hotelroom somewhere and leave as much as you can there before you go. Do it as early as possible in the morning.

Volunteering opportunities! Many of the schools around Lake Atitlán offer built-in volunteering opportunities. For medical students wanting to offer service and gain experience, Hospitalito Atitlán[2] in Santiago Atitlán (another pueblo on the lake) accepts medical students and clinicians. The new Hospitalito Atitlán, scheduled to be completed in November 2010, can mold any volunteer work to fit the skills available (carpenters, MBA students, computer work, group volunteering for construction, etc.).

Eat

Many of the towns around the lake have restaurants, at a variety of price points from luxury to budget. See the individual town articles for details.

Drink

Lake Atitlán is a better place to relax than to party. Some towns, like Panajachel, have thriving bar scenes. Others go to sleep when the night falls.

Sleep

Each of the towns and villages around the lake offer a wide range of hotels. you can stay with a poor man or a 5 star hotel! See the individual town articles (under Cities above) for details. The following hotels or resorts are not in a specific town.

Casa Del Mundo, [3]. Mid range price US$ 38 per night with own room and shared bathroom or US$ 75 per night with own room and bathroom. It´s a 15 minute boat ride to this secluded villa on the lake set apart from everything. This is a small hotel with about 15 luxurious rooms and amazing food. Be prepared to pay about 75 Quetzals extra for the three course dinner they serve, its the only way to eat. Bring a swimsuit because this is the ideal place to lounge in hammocks or simply float in the water. Perhaps the best value for money hotel to be found in Atitlan. It is only accessible by boat, the food is fantastic, the rooms are clean and the grounds are amazing.

Lomas de Tzununá, [4]. A relatively new place perched on the hillside between Santa Cruz la Laguna and San Marcos. Facing the volcanos, with amazing views, friendly staff. Only accessible by boat.

La Riviera de Atitlan, ☎(502)7762-0310, [1]. A high-end resort, located a few km to the west of Panajachel on the bay of San Buenaventura.US$150/night.

Sha Ryan Ka, [5].☎ 502 5157 0707. . A retreat which consists of 3 unique cottages and a main house which lay on the northern shore of Lake Atitlan in Santa Cruz la Laguna. This magical lakefront home has views of 3 volcanoes from a large veranda. Sleeps 6 with a fireplace in the living room and an indoor/outdoor bathroom that was photographed for a European architectural magazine. Also are three unique, fully equipped cottages with hot showers and kitchenettes. All have relaxing lake view balconies and rentals are from $400 to $500 per month. Daily rentals start at $25, weekly at $125. The main house rents for $1600 a month. All are Half price in the off season from mid May to the end of October. All rentals include access to beautiful well maintained gardens, sauna, private dock, meditation gazebo looking out to a waterfall.

"Yo Momma's Casa", [6]. Budget prices, less than $6 per night for the dorms. There are two dorms (with lockers), two private rooms, a rec room with a pool table, and a central area with hammocks and chairs where everyone congregates. The bathrooms are decent enough, and there is no WiFi, but it is a great place to go if you want to meet people, you can't avoid walking by the central area, and people are almost always hanging out there. Also highly recommended if you came to Lake Atitlan looking to party, as the staff is well informed of what is going on in the town, and it is the only place that serves alcohol after 11:00 (the beer is the cheapest in San Pedro).

Get out

Stay safe

On the road around the Laguna de Atitlán, especially between the villages San Juan and San Marcos, some daytime violent crime has been reported (Nov 2004). Tourists have been robbed (although not injured), and there were also rapes against women. The road from San Lucas Toliman to Cerro de Oro, once dangerous, is now considered safe.

Although the road from San Marcos to the next northern village is now controlled by the "Tourist Police", walking this way with backpacks or large amounts of money is not recommended.